Keyboard shortcuts
Every shortcut Buzz offers, as listed under Settings → Keyboard shortcuts in the app. Shortcuts are read-only — they cannot be remapped. Keys are shown as they appear on macOS; on Windows and Linux, substitute Ctrl where Cmd is shown.
The two worth learning first: Cmd+K gets you anywhere, and Escape clears the conversation you just read.
Navigation
| Action | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Quick search | Cmd+K | Open the search dialog |
| Browse channels | Shift+Cmd+O | Open the channel browser |
| New direct message | Shift+Cmd+K | Open the new message composer |
| New channel | Shift+Cmd+N | Open the create channel dialog |
| Settings | Cmd+, | Open or close settings |
| Go back | Cmd+[ | Navigate to the previous page |
| Go forward | Cmd+] | Navigate to the next page |
| Find in channel | Cmd+F | Search messages in the current channel |
| Home | Shift+Cmd+A | Navigate to the home feed |
| Toggle sidebar | Cmd+S | Show or hide the sidebar |
| Mark as read | Escape | Mark the current conversation as read |
| Mark all as read | Shift+Escape | Mark all conversations as read |
Messages
| Action | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Send message | Enter | Send the current message |
| New line | Shift+Enter | Insert a line break in the composer |
| Publish note | Cmd+Enter | Publish a Pulse note |
| Close dialog | Escape | Close the current dialog or settings |
| Start or leave huddle | Ctrl+Shift+Space | Start or join a huddle in the current channel; leave when connected |
| Push to talk | Ctrl+Space | Hold to unmute in a huddle |
Formatting
| Action | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Cmd+B | Toggle bold formatting |
| Italic | Cmd+I | Toggle italic formatting |
| Strikethrough | Cmd+Shift+X | Toggle strikethrough formatting |
| Inline code | Cmd+E | Toggle inline code formatting |
| Insert link | Cmd+K | Link the selected composer text, or edit the link under the caret |
Zoom
| Action | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom in | Cmd++ | Increase the zoom level |
| Zoom out | Cmd+- | Decrease the zoom level |
| Reset zoom | Cmd+0 | Reset zoom to the default level |
Zoom now scales the root text size rather than the whole viewport, so it interacts with the font-size and conversation-density preferences added in v0.5.18 (Settings → Appearance) rather than fighting them. If text is the problem rather than the window, set it there instead.
Window
| Action | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Close window | Cmd+W | Close the current Buzz window. The main window hides to the tray rather than quitting, matching the titlebar close button. In Buzz Term, when the terminal owns input, Cmd+W closes the active terminal tab instead. |
Cmd+W was added in v0.5.18. Before that, Buzz had removed the native macOS close-window accelerator so the webview could route Cmd+W to Buzz Term, which left normal Buzz mode without it.
Last checked: Buzz v0.5.20, 2026-09-02 — verified against the changelog, not against a running build; the in-app Settings → Keyboard shortcuts list remains authoritative.